β-Carotene

β-Carotene, an antioxidant associated with deep yellow pigments in plants, is arguably one of the most important and well known Provitamin A Carotenoids.  After ingestion, β-Carotene is converted into retinol, or Vitamin A, during absorption in the small intestine.1,2


  1. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements.(n.d.). Vitamin A: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Retrieved August 6, 2020, from https://ods.od.nih.gov/
  2. Caballero, B., Allen, L., Prentice, A. (2005). Vitamin A: Physiology. In Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, 2nd ed., Vol. 4, pp. 329-339. Elsevier.